Fiber properties, including impurities such as neps and trash particles, affect the quality and value of a fiber such as cotton. Thus, it is important to monitor the presence of impurities in fiber when it is being processed. Once impurities are detected, the production machinery may be altered to reduce or eliminate the neps and trash. Because trash and neps may contaminate the fiber at almost any stage of production, it is important to monitor the quality of the fiber at many different stages of the processing operation.
Some fiber quality testing equipment requires that fiber samples be removed from the material that is being processed. This is undesirably time consuming and often difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, because of the speed of fiber moving through modern processing equipment, the results of a quality test may be irrelevant by the time the test results are received. In addition, the processing equipment may need to be stopped to remove a sample. This can result in costly delays and diminished production.
Some fiber quality monitoring devices are fully integrated into fiber processing equipment. While this might be a desirable feature to one who needs new equipment or has compatible equipment, it does not benefit those who already have incompatible equipment.
At certain points during cotton processing, the cotton is in a form known as a "sliver". A sliver of fiber is a bundle of substantially parallel, untwisted fibers, typically created at the output of a carding machine. The sliver of fiber is usually exposed as it exits the carding machine and is relatively easily accessible at this stage of processing. Therefore, it would be beneficial to monitor the fiber in sliver form at this point.
However, there are several disadvantages to monitoring fiber in sliver form. For example, the sliver of fiber is round and relatively thick. Due to the sliver's shape and thickness, it is hard to see the individual fibers, especially those fibers nearer the interior of the sliver. Furthermore, the sliver typically moves very fast through the processing equipment at this stage of production. Therefore, it is difficult to remove a sample at this stage of production without undesirably breaking the sliver of fiber. In addition, the speed of the moving sliver of fiber tends to make it difficult to create a clear image of the internal structure of the sliver with a camera.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method that can rapidly monitor the quality of a sliver of fiber on-line as it is being processed, and that can be used with existing fiber processing equipment.